A photovoltaic power plant opens on the North Diagonal Campus of the UPC

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22/10/2020

On 22 October, a new photovoltaic power station of 170 kW and 510 modules for self-consumption opened on the North Diagonal Campus of the UPC, which will produce part of the electrical energy consumed in the classrooms of this campus in Barcelona. With a surface area of 2,067 m2 on the roofs of classroom buildings A1, A2, A3 and A4, it is expected that the new plant will produce around 225,000 kWh, which is equivalent to 50% of the energy consumed in these buildings.  

The installation of the solar power plant on the North Diagonal Campus has been coordinated by the UPC Infrastructure Service, with the support of the Innovation and Community Bureau (GIC) and the collaboration of Álvaro Luna from the research center Renewable Electrical Energy Systems (SEER UPC), who was responsible for the design and monitoring of the project and the technical solutions, providing advice to the Infrastructure Service.

At the opening event, which is part of the programme of activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the UPC, rector Francesc Torres presented the UPC Climate Action Strategy 2030, approved by the Governing Council. Then, the director-general for Energy, Industrial Security and Mining Security and the director of the Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN), Manel Torrent, gave a talk on the energy transition strategy for Catalonia. In addition to visiting the installations of the new plant, various research and teaching projects were presented on energy efficiency and renewables applied to buildings and campuses of the UPC, as well as energy research projects. The closing speech was given by the vice-rector for Social Responsibility and Equality, Gemma Fargas.

The newly opened plant is part of the Campus Solar UPC and adds to the solar plants of the Campus de Terrassa, which were installed as part of the Solar Campus initiative, and that of the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering (ETSEIB) on the South Diagonal Campus, in this case promoted through the BISOL project. With these installations and those planned for other UPC buildings in Barcelona and on the campuses of Manresa and Vilanova i la Geltrú, the aim is to reach 600 kW of power in 2021.